*Chapter 125: Tsunade Confronts the Red-Haired Shanks?*

The conference room fell into a rare silence, even Sakazuki didn't know what to say at this moment.

Sakazuki had never seen Borsalino like this before.

It seemed as though he genuinely just wanted a fair and impartial explanation, not favoritism.

However, within the Navy, Zephyr had contributed far more than Borsalino ever had.

Even though Zephyr had retired from the Navy and become an instructor in Dressrosa, he still maintained a connection with them—though it wasn't a very strong one.

In fact, half of the Navy's students had been trained by Zephyr, showing his deep influence!

Borsalino simply couldn't do anything about it.

He would likely have to bow down to Sengoku and Zephyr.

This time, Sakazuki realized that even a Navy Admiral has limitations.

Sometimes, even when wronged, there's no one to stand by you.

Sakazuki resolved to aim for the position of Fleet Admiral!

To truly become the decision-maker within the Navy!

"Borsalino is so clueless! Even now he's messing around; Sakazuki, you should have a good talk with him later."

"Let's consider this matter resolved. From now on, Borsalino's issue will remain confidential within the Navy and must not be leaked."

Sengoku's only recourse now was to seal the information.

Fortunately, Dressrosa had no intention of making it public either and would follow suit in keeping it under wraps.

As long as the issue wasn't spread, both the Navy and Dressrosa could act as if nothing happened.

Even though Dressrosa's actions were despicable, they hadn't significantly harmed Borsalino's interests.

In fact, Borsalino had even gained an advantage, which seemed odd no matter how you looked at it.

"Alright, let's have Zephyr come back and apologize to Borsalino!"

"Explain everything clearly; there's no need to make such a big fuss."

"Next, let's discuss Tsunade!"

"Should we have Tsunade make an appearance on the seas, or keep her hidden?"

"If she's to make an appearance, we need to find the right opportunity to establish her name."

"Then, we could directly promote Tsunade to the rank of Vice Admiral, which would be the best option for the Navy."

Tsuru shook her head as she watched the others messing around, putting an end to the discussion.

Now, the focus shifted to Tsunade. She was considered a fresh force within the Navy.

This power left the others a bit stumped, not knowing where to place her.

They couldn't just put her in one of the Four Seas or the first half of the Grand Line!

The Navy wasn't that extravagant to casually assign such strength.

As for Borsalino's suggestion that Tsunade might be someone sent by Dressrosa to have the Navy train her—what did it matter?

For now, Tsunade was part of the Navy, and that was enough.

The future was uncertain, but the Navy still believed they could retain a lot of people.

Even if Tsunade had plenty of flaws, it wouldn't matter.

She always had justice in her heart; there was no need to worry about these things.

"This is such a troublesome situation. Currently, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom can't be provoked."

"They hold massive territories on the sea and have already established themselves as kings."

"And, if we take action against them, it might disrupt the existing balance of the seas!"

"Our Navy isn't ready for that yet!"

Sengoku shook his head, feeling conflicted inside.

He never imagined that even the Navy would hesitate to act against these notorious pirates.

Although the Navy held considerable power, they weren't prepared for an all-out confrontation with the pirates.

Unless the Navy was truly ready to reshape the landscape of the seas.

But if they did that, they should brace for a turbulent era.

However!

The Great Pirate Era that Roger started hasn't ended yet.

Countless people are still flocking to the seas, and the Navy can’t suppress them.

If they really made such a move, the entire sea might become even more chaotic.

Leading to a situation the Navy wouldn't be able to control.

That was something Sengoku didn't want to see.

"Sengoku-san! I think there's someone quite suitable for this!"

At this point, Kuzan spoke up, lifting the visor from his face to look at Sengoku.

Huh?

The others didn't expect Kuzan to actively voice his opinion.

This kind of thing was unusual, especially given Kuzan's usually laid-back demeanor.

He seemed to be just coasting through his days in the Navy, much like Borsalino.

They had pretty much given up hope on Kuzan.

"Kuzan, feel free to share your thoughts."

Sengoku's gaze shifted to Kuzan, seeing this as a good sign.

He had originally thought that both Kuzan and Borsalino were completely uninterested in taking initiative.

Sengoku often felt that the Navy personnel were too passive, with no real drive.

But now it seemed not all of them were like that.

"Recently, there's been someone making quite a stir on the seas, but they've quieted down a lot lately."

"I think we should make this person a target; it could yield very good results."

Kuzan hinted.

"You're talking about... the Red-Haired Shanks?"

Sengoku pondered for a moment and immediately understood.

His eyes lit up; the Red-Haired Shanks was different from the other three monsters.

---

That guy used to be a striking presence on the seas.

However, after losing an arm a few years ago, he hasn’t been as active.

He used to frequently spar with Hawkeye, often turning the seas upside down, which was a constant headache for the Navy—they once even tried to figure out how to deal with this trouble.

The most crucial point is!

Red-Haired Shanks was a member of Roger’s Pirates.

Although he was just an apprentice pirate on the ship, he sailed alongside Roger, gaining extensive knowledge about many things in the seas.

But there’s something strange about this guy.

He has connections with the Celestial Dragons and some ties with the Five Elders.

The Five Elders had previously warned not to engage with Red-Haired unless absolutely necessary.

Red-Haired Shanks would even help the Navy maintain balance on the seas and wouldn’t easily participate in conflicts.

Kuzan frowned at Sengoku, wondering if there were secrets about Red-Haired that they didn’t know.

At that moment, he felt his role as a Navy Admiral was somewhat pointless, realizing that they knew very little about many of the Navy's secrets!

With special factors surrounding Red-Haired Shanks, even the Navy Admirals were kept in the dark.

Perhaps he should set aside time to have a thorough conversation with Sengoku about Shanks, to see if he could uncover some inside information and get a clearer understanding.

“Alright, let’s go with Red-Haired! But this must be done before the war in Dressrosa.”

“Deploy the Navy; this war will focus on Tsunade as the main character.”

“The Navy should reinforce its forces to properly intimidate these pirates.”

Sengoku didn’t hesitate long before making the decision, not giving them much choice.

There weren’t many pirates left they could easily deal with.

Right now, Red-Haired seemed like the easiest target, and it could also display the Navy's might.

Tsunade’s first battle must not have even the slightest error.

As the Navy mobilized, the seas began to churn with undercurrents.

Raijin was unaware of the Navy's actions, but he knew that Tsunade had acquired the Forest Forest Fruit.

She had even awakened the Senju bloodline and mastered Wood Release techniques.

This really surprised Raijin .

Devil Fruits indeed had the potential to enhance various elements within one's body.

Raijin began to consider more possibilities, remembering that he also had another option—Haku.

With Ice Release kekkei genkai, what would happen if Haku ate the Snow Snow Fruit?

It might expand his Ice Release abilities, potentially rivaling Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit capabilities.

In that case, Haku might be worth nurturing as well.

Maybe he could even become the next Kuzan.

Previously, a selection of Devil Fruits was presented to Shikaku Nara to choose from.

Ultimately, Shikaku chose the Bird-Bird Fruit to improve the mobility of the Nara clan.

The remaining Devil Fruits still lacked suitable hosts.

“Lord Raijin ! The Queen is also pregnant now.”

Shizune stepped out of the room with a serious expression, looking at Raijin .

Today's task was to check on some members of the Uchiha clan who were expecting children.

She discovered several cases, the most notable being Uchiha Raijin himself.

Violet, to everyone’s surprise, was indeed pregnant.

Having Raijin ’s child would be a cause for celebration among the Uchihas.

“Good! Provide Violet with the highest level of care!”

“Offer her the highest standards of treatment available in Dressrosa. During this time, the Navy will send over some personnel for meal planning, so you can start considering that.”

“I’ll try to bring in some renowned doctors from the sea to enhance your medical skills.”

Raijin ’s face remained expressionless as he nodded.

“Understood!”

Shizune nodded without any reaction.

Famous doctors from the seas?

Were their medical skills that impressive?

Even if they were, could they match the power of Hashirama’s cells?

Shizune believed that if she could fully comprehend Hashirama’s cells, she could surpass Lady Tsunade and become the greatest doctor.

That was Shizune’s only dream now—to thoroughly study Hashirama’s cells.

“Izumi! Arrange guards to be stationed by their side, and ensure there’s no room for error.”

Watching Shizune leave, Raijin spoke to the air.

There was no audible response, but Raijin could clearly sense that Izumi was nearby.

This girl was probably throwing a tantrum right now, perhaps due to Violet's situation.

After all, since Raijin took her from Itachi, she had been fighting repeatedly for the Uchiha with no respite.

She wasn’t even given basic care or concern!

“When you come of age, I’ll definitely marry you. The future head of the Uchiha clan needs a pure bloodline to carry on.”

Raijin felt a bit helpless, knowing that Izumi was likely the one who cared most about these things.

If not for her young age, Raijin would have balanced things out by now.

“Yes!”

A faint voice echoed, and the chakra presence vanished the next moment.

Raijin felt slightly relieved. With Dressrosa developing rapidly, he only needed to make key decisions.

The rest could be handled by those he had brought over from Konoha.

However, Raijin now felt he was lacking an important military force.

The Anbu!

Something akin to the World Government's CP0!

They always operated in the shadows, collecting intelligence, assassinating targets, and so forth.

But with only a handful of Uchihas, establishing an Anbu seemed unrealistic.

“Maybe next time I should bring Danzo over... No! That would turn them into death soldiers, not an Anbu.”

“I’d still have to guard against Danzo stabbing us in the back—he’s got big ambitions!”

“Especially living under the control of his arch-nemesis, the Uchiha; that would surely amplify his ambitions.”

“Unlike being suppressed by the Third Hokage, where he might still hold back a little. Danzo is best left as a menace in Konoha.”

“It might be better to attempt the Reanimation of the Second Hokage. He’d likely be well-suited to lead the Anbu.”

“Even though he harbors hatred for the Uchiha, he knows how to weigh things properly. We should be able to communicate well with him.”

Raijin felt that the Second Hokage would be willing to share some of the burden with him.

Moreover, Raijin had previously promised Tsunade she could see her family members.

To prevent Tsunade from losing control again, perhaps her great-uncle could come over and have a talk with her.

Hopefully, Tsunade would reflect on things and build a good alliance with the Uchiha.

After all, the Senju and Uchiha were the two clans that had the best synergy.

---

In Dressrosa, the coliseum was basically filled to capacity with guests.

Inside, there were pirates as well as ordinary people. This was their biggest outlet for letting loose.

The Uchiha clan set up a prize pool in the coliseum; as long as someone could win a certain number of matches in a row, they would receive a reward.

This stirred up a fervor among the pirates of the great sea, driving them forward without fear of death.

As a result, every day, powerful pirates would take the stage in the coliseum, only to die there.

Nearly a week had passed, and only two people had reached their goal.

Dressrosa, meanwhile, was making money hand over fist, practically bursting at the seams.

In a forest clearing near the coliseum:

"Buzz!"

A slash ripped through the ground, creating a massive trench.

This terrifying attack showed no signs of stopping as it continued toward the white-haired opponent.

"Clang!"

Kakashi refused to be outdone; his blade flashed out in an instant.

With a swift technique, he blocked the slash in front of him.

But against such overwhelming strength, Kakashi’s frail body was clearly inadequate.

Among ninjas, Kakashi’s physique was already far beyond that of an average person.

But on this sea, Kakashi appeared somewhat frail.

Even though he consumed large amounts of nutritional food daily, he still couldn't keep up with the people in front of him, at least not yet.

"Bang!"

He slid dozens of meters across the ground.

Once the force dissipated, Kakashi shook his numbed arm.

This guy’s strength was too great; he was completely beyond Kakashi's ability to fight against.

In front of this guy...

He really should have trained more with Guy in taijutsu.

Otherwise, in this world, the gap in physical strength was just too big.

---

"Are you still planning to use your swordsmanship along with the original assassination techniques? That's not really a mainstream style on the sea."

"Plus, your strength is too weak. Even if you can swing a strike, it’s still powerless."

Mihawk sheathed his large sword and calmly looked at Kakashi.

This guy does have some talent in swordsmanship.

Maybe he's setting his standards too high for himself, trying to advance in all areas simultaneously.

As a result, his progress in swordsmanship hasn't been much!

He’s even still using the mainstream assassination techniques from the Naruto world.

"There are also ways to enhance your physical strength, but they put a huge burden on the body."

"Mihawk, could it be that my foundation is just too weak?"

"No matter how much I train, I can't catch up to you guys."

Kakashi's face twisted; he felt like this bastard wasn’t being fair.

His body, compared to these guys, is like fragile glass—unless he opens the Eight Gates, he barely stands a chance.

But the Eight Gates can't be used all the time, and each time he opens them, it damages his body.

"You're just too lazy! If you want to catch up to me, then put in two hundred times, five hundred times the effort of an ordinary person!"

"If you do that, maybe after a year, without using Devil Fruits or chakra, you might be able to stand a little longer in front of me."

Mihawk said with a frown. But only those with immense willpower and determination can achieve that on the sea.

Kakashi, this weak guy, probably couldn’t do it even if he tried his whole life.

What a pity!

Mihawk had one less friend in swordsmanship on the sea.

Ever since that red-haired guy lost an arm, the sea had felt much duller.

There wasn’t even a bit of fun left.

"I might as well be dead then!"

Kakashi rolled his dead-fish eyes.

There was no way to talk to this guy in front of him.

Two hundred times the effort? Five hundred times the effort?

Who could still be considered human with that?

" . . . "

Mihawk glanced at Kakashi, then turned to leave after a few seconds.

He hadn’t even started, and Kakashi was already saying such defeatist things.

If someone like this could accomplish anything on the sea, it would truly be unbelievable.

"Don't leave just yet! Recently, the academy recruited someone whose goal is also to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

"A kid?"

Mihawk looked at Kakashi in surprise, his brow furrowing tightly.

Buzz!

In an instant, the large sword Yoru was pointed at Kakashi's neck.

"Do you think I would bully a kid?"

Mihawk felt like Kakashi was out of ideas.

Now he was planning to have a child as his opponent?

How could that be possible?

"But Raiden said that kid’s ancestor was Ryuma, the Dragon Slayer! He is destined to surpass his ancestor, maybe even surpass you to become the world's greatest swordsman. He has a spirit that ordinary people lack!"

"Are you really not interested? That kid received such high praise from Raiden."

"Also, there’s a teacher in the academy who’s also from Wano Country!"

"They’ve even recruited a blacksmith capable of forging great swords."

"Are you really not even a little interested?"

Kakashi smirked, looking at Mihawk.

" . . . "

Originally, he wasn’t interested at all.

But being praised so highly by a Warlord of the Sea suggested the kid had some real skills.

Moreover,

A descendant of Ryuma the Dragon Slayer?

He really hoped this one wouldn’t tarnish that powerful name!

"I’m interested!"

(The chapter ends here.)

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